Alan Caruba's blog is a daily look at events, personalities, and issues from an independent point of view. Copyright, Alan Caruba, 2015. With attribution, posts may be shared. A permission request is welcome. Email acaruba@aol.com.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Gun Control is DOA in Congress

By Alan
Caruba

When I was
a teenager I was a magician performing at birthday parties and before local
clubs whose adults enjoyed legerdemain as much as the kids. The essence of
magic is diversion, distracting the audience to watch the right hand while the
left is setting up the illusion. It was a lesson I never forgot as I watch
politicians divert attention from their actual agenda and right now President
Obama is engaged in that as he goes around the nation asking for more gun
control.

The
killings in Colorado and at Sandy Hook school were committed by certifiably
insane individuals. No background check can determine a person’s sanity. If
seeking the advice and care of a psychiatrist and psychologist would disqualify
a person from gun ownership than their privacy will have been invaded in ways
prohibited by medical ethics and the constitutional right to privacy. Police
cannot arrest anyone on the suspicion they’re nuts. The only protection against
them is a sane armed gun-owner.

The right
to self-defense is as old as mankind. All tyrannical governments seek to disarm
their citizens. The Founders of America understood this. Thomas Jefferson said,
“No free man shall ever been debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for
the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to
protect themselves against tyranny in government.”

It has
become a cliché to say that Barack Obama has become the greatest gun salesman
because, as noted in a December 2012 report by CNSnews.com, “Compared to the
number of background checks completed from January through December of 2011,
all but two states saw net increases in gun sales in 2012.” Background checks
to ensure that those with criminal records are a good idea, but criminals or
crazy people can always get their hands on a gun. The Sandy Hook murders were
perpetrated by a lunatic using the legal guns purchased by his mother. She was
his first victim.

“Washington,
D.C. saw the largest year-to-year increase,” reported CNSnews.com, “with sales
jumping 49.7%. Wisconsin followed with 45.5%, then New Jersey with 42.5%. New
Hampshire with 40.9% and Rhode Island with 39.3%.The largest increases occurred in Georgia,
Oregon, New Hampshire, Texas and Montana.

In 2011
gun owners in America outnumbered hunters by 5 to 1. Hunters constitute only
15.9% to 18% of the estimate 70-80 million gun owners. Together they owned an
estimated 300 million firearms, about 100 million of which were handguns.

That is
one hell of a voting bloc!

The
members of Congress know this. Writing in January, Wall Street Journal
columnist, Kimberley A. Strassel, castigated “the elites” noting that the “one
issue on which Congress still resoundingly agrees” is gun rights. The so-called
debate over gun-control is led by the most elitist of all, Obama.

“On the
other side,” wrote Strassel, “is the reality that any of these proposals must,
in the normal course of things, pass Congress. A few quick facts about that
body. (1) More than half of its members have an ‘A’ rating from the National
Rifle Association. (2) The few members today calling for gun control are the
same few who have always called for gun control. (3) The House is run by
Republicans.”

“Even were
the Senate to summon 60 votes (unlikely), and even if Mr. Boehner to risk the
renewed wrath of his caucus by moving such a bill (crazy unlikely), any
legislation would fall to members such as Virginia’s Bob Goodlate (who runs the
Judiciary Committee) and Pete Sessions (who runs the Rules Committee). Mr.
Goodlate is strong on gun rights. Mr. Sessions is from Texas.”

A new gun
control law on top of the 1,100 that already exist is dead on arrival in
Congress. Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, knows this. Even Obama knows
this. So why is he going around the nation giving gun control speeches? It is
the old magician’s trick of diversion and distraction. Gun control has no
priority in a nation awash in debt, concerned about illegal immigration, and
even threatened by the insane leader of North Korea.

“The more
sweeping any gun proposals,” observed Ms. Strassel, “the more dead on arrival
they will be in Congress. Mr. Obama might know that and be planning to take
credit for going big while blaming failure on Congress. If so, he’ll have to
beat on his own party.”

There are
harsh, irresponsible and irrational gun control laws being passed in heavily
liberal states, but they can and will be repealed in time as political control
passes to legislators who get elected running against them. The Wall Street Journal reports that “This year, five states have passed seven laws that
strengthen gun restrictions, while 10 states have passed 17 laws that weaken
them, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which tracks and
promotes gun-control-laws.

Nothing
can be done to stop the crazies, but the vast numbers of gun owners are not
crazy. They are, however, worried about a government showing signs of trying to
take their guns away. Elections are a defense against such actions.

5 comments:

First instance of abuse is where the background checks are used to create in illegal national gun registry.

The powers that be... can also lower the bar so that a person with a small misdemeanor for a bar fight back when they were in college is considered a prohibited person. In some states / cities excessive speeding or downloading a lot of music can get you a felony charge. Felonies are no longer restricted to violent crimes. How long before spitting on the sidewalk prohibits you from owning a gun?

Domestic violence is being stretched to include just grabbing someone's wrist or shoving someone out of your way as you walk out the door. Something as minor as a wrist grab can be used deny a person their Second Amendment Rights. No end to the amount of abuse that background checks will eventually lead to.

In NYC if you have a gun permit, the police randomly call your house and ask your family members if you every display any signs of stress or great anger... and then pick at that. The wrong answers by your family will get your permit revoked.

The purpose of the Second Amendment is to prevent future tyranny.

"When the govt fears the people there is liberty. When the people fear govt there is tyranny" - Thomas Jefferson

The purpose of the Second Amendment is to arm people in order to prevent future tyranny. They need the tools to do this.

The term "Well Regulated" in the Second Amendment meant "Well Manned and Equipped " in 1791 as was determined in the 1939 United States v. Miller case after referencing the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. The concept of Government Regulation, as we understand it today, did not exist at the time.

United States v. Miller also determined that the term "Arms" refers to "Ordinary Military Weapons" (not crew operated). American Citizens have the right to Keep and Bear, which means Own and Carry, any weapons that a soldier carries into battle. That includes past, present and future weapons. A Militia consisted of armed volunteers willing to fight with their personal arms and not under government control.

The 2008 Heller v. Washington DC decision reaffirmed that the Right to Bear Arms was an Individual right. The 2010 McDonald v. Chicago decision reaffirmed it yet again and made it clear that it applies to every state, every city and every town in the United States.

To limit the Second Amendment to muskets would be the equivalent of limiting the First Amendment to writings in quill pens.

Any student of history can plainly see that America is in dire straits. But three things just might save us yet: lots of guns, lots of land, and the grace of God. We've got the first two; let us pray for the third.

About Me

I am and have been for a long time a writer by profession. I have several books to my credit and my daily column, "Warning Signs", is disseminated on many Internet news and opinion websites, as well as blogs. In addition, I am a longtime book reviewer and have a blog offering a monthly report on new fiction and non-fiction.